Artist Bios – May 2011
Mary Lorraine Bargteil is troubled by her name, artifacts, and alignment. Frequently inconsistent, her creative efforts have resulted in publication in poetry, short story, novella, and essay. One of her creative objectives is to make books from existing materials and to excavate territories and characters where the artifacts are sketchy at best. She finds significance in things that are broken. Mary has been teaching for over a decade in both credit and non-credit writing and literature classes.
Silvia de la Peña is a graduate of the University of California Santa Barbara’s College of Creative Studies and received her MFA in creative writing and publishing arts from the University of Baltimore. Her poems have appeared in many extremely highbrow publications. She currently lives in Southern California and is working on a new poetry collection.
Dave K. is a writer who lives in Baltimore. His work has been published in Welter, Ghoti Hook, Battered Suitcase, the Nautilus Engine, and 5923 Quarterly. He is a regular contributor to Adfreak, the official weblog of Adweek Magazine. He’s currently working on a novel about clowns. Find him on the web at www.beeohdee.blogspot.com. When he’s not writing, DK is a Martian impact crater approximately 56 kilometers in diameter.
Born and raised in Maine, Rebecca Krupke is a seventh generation ‘Mainer’. She received her Bachelor of Arts from the University of Maine with a double degree in Studio Art and Art History both magna cum laude in the year 2002. Rebecca’s memories are filled with images of playing in her grandparents’ attic. She spent many days amongst unfinished canvases of her grandfather, Edward Bailey, who studied art at the Portland School of Art. Seeing the joy on her grandfather’s face as he spoke of his days painting in art school planted a seed in Rebecca’s heart to carry on where he left off. You can see more of her work, as well as a list of places she has shown, at http://www.rebeccakrupke.com.
A former small-town journalist, Avelino Maestas covered local news in Silver City, New Mexico, for more than four years, including two years at the Silver City Daily Press, one of the last independent newspaper operations in New Mexico. Now living in Baltimore, Avelino is a dedicated gardener, amateur photographer and aspiring woodworker. In addition, he helped found Hampden’s UpDown Press and Bindery.
Catherine Maire is a graduate student in the University of Baltimore’s creative writing program where she writes fiction, poetry and the occasional essay. She spends her spare time encouraging her grown children to get over their embarrassment and read her blog, Adult Onset Adolescence.
Erin Ouslander graduated from UMBC in 2003 and has been working as a print designer for the university ever since. An avid procrastinator and daydreamer, Erin enjoys thinking about doing things more than actually doing them. It is a miracle she managed to submit anything for this issue. She likes dinosaurs, Michael Jackson, and the color yellow.
Meredith Purvis, mild-mannered communications editor by day, kicks up her heels and dances down the night. She received her MFA in Creative Writing & Publishing Arts from the University of Baltimore, and her poetry has been published in Journey Student Literary Magazine, Welter and the Little Patuxent Review. She is also an avid book binder and collector of all things small. Visit her blog at meredithpurvis.com.